Slashdot videos: Now with more Slashdot!

View

Discuss

Share

We've improved Slashdot's video section; now you can view our video interviews, product close-ups and site visits with all the usual Slashdot options to comment, share, etc. No more walled garden! It's a work in progress -- we hope you'll check it out (Learn more about the recent updates).

They also offer a variety of services which I greatly appreciate in this day an age.

I don't have to lug around all my cds/dvds/Floppies every time I move and honestly I've gotten rid of all my physical media (external hard-drives excluded) about 2 international moves ago.

It automatically keeps all my games up to date, no more Battlefield 1942 patch hell.

As a store front it allows me to keep up to date on game releases and even pre-load certain titles.

Steam sales.

A robust offline mode which automatically works as long as you've downloaded the game and run it a single time while being connected online.

I use it as a unified launcher.

I use it as a communication tool dedicated to getting in touch with other people I know who are playing games and can easily organize matches of any game on our collective steam lists.

Also not all games come with the steamworks DRM and can be run freely without steam even being installed on the system. Granted you have to download it through Steam first, but that would apply to any digital store front. Not to mention I've never noticed the DRM in action, making it the most non-intrusive form so far and if it doesn't even bother me, I don't see much reason to rage about it if it means that Steam is more likely to stay in business.

I no longer have to input CD-keys or even worry about where I've physically kept the myriads of manuals containing them and installing software is as quick as simply wanting to play something and double clicking the title and download/installation is automatic. I don't have as much time to waste on gaming as I used to so streamlining it is in my best interest.

Having to live with the "fear" that one day my games will be gone is like worrying that a Jumbo jet will land on my house. Honestly, I'd just pirate the games I'd lost.

Because people are stupid and forget about important things all the time.

It's a campaign revolved around awareness. If you notice all the lights going out around you and you take a moment to think "Ooh, that's neat" and then figure out it's earth day then maybe sometime next week you'll turn off a light you would normally have left on or turned down (up?) the AC a couple of degrees. But more often than not you will forget it, because people are stupid and forget about important things all the time.

I personally think it should be restricted to motorized vehicles. I do agree with the general negligence category, but having laws for bicycles is pointless since there's no test or requirement to own or operate one and children will be the most caught for this "crime".

I see that we inherently have different opinions on the matter and I doubt either one of us will change stand points at the end a discussion, but I appreciate your opinion.

Why does it imply that I would want bans in the rest of the places when I pick cars? Is this some kind of reverse psychology slippery slope?

I'd ban it in cars, and ONLY cars. And naturally only for the driver.

And surely it's already "banned" in classrooms? Unless you want to press criminal charges against children who happen to have a social life and *GASP* an inability to not pay attention every day in a classroom.

Actually my peers noticed it before I did. I work in Graphics and have had a long technical background where a lot of them come from art backgrounds. They were peering (no pun intended(...Ok, maybe partially)) over my shoulder and were amazed with how fast I was typing. That's when I started noticing how slow they were. Of course they're faster than me at certain other tasks.

Exactly this. When I get asked if my bios is the latest version I usually just lie and say yes and then they end up providing me with the information/service I originally requested instead of badgering me about my bios being the potential culprit.

That is actually really interesting. In addition imagine the potential of having similar software on the google glasses or any other head mounted display giving you visual feedback on objects you may not be able to clearly see in real time.

They kept updating it and changing things around in very small ways which seemed to break my add-ons and browsing methods on a regular basis. Like adding the awesomebar, taking it out, breaking the addon I had to replace it and probably putting it back in again by now...

I know updates are generally considered a good thing, but Mozilla chased me away with theirs. I just wanted my browser and daily routine to work every time I started it up without having to worry about whether or not they updated it.